I was not offended by Shildt’s rousing postgame speech. I was puzzled. Do baseball players really need a speech like that? Do they need to be so emotionally charged? I am asking these questions in all sincerity.
I would need that kind of speech if I were a hockey player and knew that large, well-conditioned men were soon going to skate into me at high speed and knock me against the boards. I would need that speech if I were a football player and knew that abnormally large and yet still well-conditioned men were about to run into me as hard as they could and throw me to the ground.